Fallout: Lanius
In a beautiful country the other end of the world from where I am writing this now, members of a ferocious tribe known as the Hidebarks are blinking away the sweat and lying in anticipation for the unknowing patrol of Legionnaires. Their golden armor reflects the harsh rays of the sun, blinding those who look to closely. A Vexillarius carries a banner, a golden bull on a red field. The banner symbolises an unstoppable and still growing army of the slavers society known as Caesar’s Legion who are looking to conquer their 67th tribe. Amongst the members of the Hidebarks exists a man known as Lanius. The oncoming friction between the two factions will give birth to a monster. Victory shall be swift and it will be honest, purchased with blood.
Leading these two forces is Wade Savage with a love for Fallout: New Vagas matched by his love for Directing. He is currently leading teams of some very talented people to produce Fallout: Lanius “a Fan Made, Not for Profit, Short Film based on the Origin Story of Legate Lanius from Fallout: New Vegas.” In this article, I have managed to pull Wade away from the front lines of the battle to talk about his current project.
“Q) Just to recap for readers unfamiliar with what you are doing, what is Fallout: Lanius about?
Fallout: Lanius tells the origin story of the tribal who would one day become Legate Lanius – The Monster of the East. The film explores the last days of the Hidebark people and their resistance to Caesar’s Legion. It also shows the events that would make Lanius eventually take up the mantle of the Legion’s most feared Leader.
Q) How have the preparations been going?
Pretty well – we are now only a month away from shooting! We’ve been locking in our locations, casting, and creating all our amazing props and costumes. Also, Funding is playing a huge part at the moment and we are campaigning day and night.
Q) So far how successful has the fundraising been in your eyes?
It started pretty well, and has slowed a little now. We were very lucky that Steven Dengler came on board as an Executive Producer – his support has meant a lot to our campaign. However, we’ve still got a long way to go.
Q) What inspired you to make the film?
Mainly my love of Fallout – especially Fallout: New Vegas. I really want to make something cinematic that does the material justice. I know we are going to make something really amazing.
Q) What have you found the hardest so far and what have you enjoyed the most?
Funding and getting the support of the more Old School fans has been difficult. But at the same time, I can see why people are sheepish to get on board. In the end, the film will speak for itself. In terms of what I’ve enjoyed the most, I’ve really loved the response we’ve got from our Fans and the doing press stuff in general. I’m also loving seeing our amazing props come to life.
Q) Fallout has a massive fanbase who choose to interpret things differently. Are you confident that your interpretation of the Legate’s story will satisfy at least a majority of people’s expectations?
Well, I did extensive research (inclusive of contacting original writers Chris Avellone and John Gonzalez from Obsidian) regarding which was the correct way to go about Lanius’ backstory and characterisation. I think we’ve got a really compelling look at Lanius’ as a man. And considering the way we are going to cover it, I know that Fans will love how we present this world.
Q) The Fallout universe is huge and it’s full of different personalities. It’s even full of other characters who are also monsters such as Joshua Graham and Caesar himself, so the question must be asked. What made you choose Legate Lanius, The Monster of the East to base your film around?
In the end, it comes down to what I could produce effectively. We’ve found locations that could resemble the rocky hills of Arizona. Legion and Tribal costumes are not super difficult. The story and time/pace is contained to the last days of the Hidebark people. If we were to cover the stories of Edward Sallow/Joshua Graham you’d literally need to shoot huge green screen shoots or shoot in the Grand Canyon itself. With this story, I know I can do it justice.
Q) Will we be seeing any other familiar characters in Fallout: Lanius?
We will be seeing Caesar meeting Lanius for the first time – and the Burned Man makes a short appearance. But, we’re not revealing how just yet.
Q) What has the reception been like so far from people looking at your project?
Really, really positive. We know that we are doing something that doesn’t use the usual Fallout Tropes, but people are really excited to be apart of the film. We’ve had a tremendous amount of support from overseas and the guys at Obsidian have been awesome to get behind us. Now, all we really need is more financial support – but we are also offering amazing rewards in return.”
Fallout: Lanius looks to be very well produced. Wade has evidently put in a lot of time, energy and money making sure that everything involved in the project is as good as it could be and that the way it is going to be presented is going to be in a way that the Fallout fans will be able to enjoy without worrying too much about conflicting information. The costumes and the props look absolutely fantastic and it is mouth-watering to think of the things that Wade and his team are going to be able to produce. On his team is Mitch Lewis himself, who did the voice for the Legate in the Fallout: New Vagas video game. It’s looking like any Fallout fan or even video game lover will be able to enjoy a fantastically produced fan made film.
At the time of writing, Wade has raised $4,370 dollars out of his $10,000 dollar goal to produce Fallout: Lanius as his dream, different contribution offer different rewards. If you would like to get involved or see more information visit the film’s indiegogo page at http://www.indiegogo.com/FalloutLaniusFanFilm.
For now, Wade shall return to some of the incredible locations he has lined up to continue on with his work with his small army of artists, tribals and warmongers and we cannot wait for when they return.